The Blood Of The Past
by enamoreddoggo
Summary: The ten year anniversary for Total Drama Island is coming. To celebrate, a gala is being held in honor of the show. However, the night takes a chilling and mysterious turn for the worse when Chris McLean is found murdered, followed slowly by a string of gruesome deaths. If the cast can’t learn to put their past behind them, then their future and lives are at stake.
1. prologue

_[ disclaimer : i do not own any of these characters. they belong to their rightful owners and creators. ]_

_[ warning : colorful language, sexual themes and violence will be present and discussed throughout this story. **you have been warned. reading after this warning and reading something that makes you uneasy is on you. **]_

_a fancy banquet. troubling pasts. a murder to solve. all in all, it's a night to remember. _

**THE BLOOD OF THE PAST**

In an alleyway in the city, the rats scurried by. They had eaten all of the garbage they could stuff in their little mouths and were now fleeing the scene. As they ran, their paws came in contact with small pools of raindrops from the thunderstorm the night before. Eerily quiet splashes echoed the silent city. Everyone that inhabited the town had retired for the night, all except for one.

A bulky man walked in the center of the road, the danger of being ran over diminished for now. His mind was clouded over with schemes to pull through and the man had developed a terrible headache from it all. To clear his mind, he had taken a walk throughout the city, the smell of use cigarettes and wet roads fresh.

The rats lay their eyes on this man and cower in fear. They run like mad in the other direction, making some trash bags crinkle at the sudden movement. The trash bins rattle and make quite the noise.

The mysterious man's attention is diverted from his empty thoughts and to the direction of the noise. However, his eyes land not on the rats, but a display case at a technology store, where the news from the afternoon before had been playing.

The man ignores his surroundings and focuses his attention to the television. A woman dressed in stylish black and gold clothes continues talking about the news.

_"... and in the Entertainment news, the hit reality show _Total Drama _will be celebrating it's tenth anniversary of the show's first season, _Total Drama Island, _in two weeks. Fans all around the world have been constantly tweeting about the reunion that will be taking place between the original cast and their host(s), Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet. In the order of elimination, let's take a look at what our contestants and fan-favorites have been up to!"_

_"Ezekiel Tryniski the homeschool, since his last season of _World Tour, _has been cured from his feral state by popular demand of the audience, because they thought it was, quote unquote, _"too cruel to leave him as he is". _Shortly after recovery, Zeke returned to his family farm, sheltered from the viewing world, to find that his parents had ditched him and moved to the big city. From what we gather, he still works at his farm, bitter and spiteful, with his only company his chickens and pigs!"_

_"Eva Allen was the she-demon of the group. Strong, aggressive and intimidating, she didn't last long to some's surprise. However, she never got He anger in check and is now a security guard for a local prison near her hometown. Before her current career, she was a fitness exerciser, but quit her job because _"there were too many wimps."_ She doesn't have a partner nor a family in her present life."_

_"Noah Sharma grew to be the loveable smartass in later seasons of the show. He is engaged with Emma, the girl he met on _The Ridonculous Race._ Noah travels the world with her and his friends, and his media is flooded with photos of his travels. When not traveling, Noah works as a professor in History at an university somewhere in Canada."_

_"Justin Phillips, the smoking eye-candy is now a model, to absolutely no one's surprise. He has no girlfriends as he states he _"can't be tied down like that" _but if he has any children is unclear, as there may be a Justin Jr. walking around without Phillips knowing he exists. Anyway, you can find Phillips' work in nearly any tabloid found at a grocery store."_

_"Katie Jones was only noticeable through her matching clothes with her BFFFL Sadie and her high-pitched voice. However, shockingly, she doesn't wear matching clothes with her bestie anymore, but definitely isn't separated from her. Katie works as a nanny for said best friend Sadie. She spends her time looking after Kathy, whose full name is Katherine, named after Katie. Other than this, Katie's life is mostly uneventful, excluding her relationship with some boy from her hometown."_

_"Tyler Davis actually grew to be quite the athlete. However, because of his natural clumsiness, he works as a coach, helpfully guiding his team from the sidelines. He is happily engaged to none other than Lindsay Moore, the pretty airhead. Tyler is still his funny, nice self that we saw through _Total Drama._"_

_"Izzy Carter is a physiatrist, shockingly, and with help from a therapist, learned to balance out her crazy side and smart persona. She is dating Owen Davies again, and resides with him on the skirts of the city with the orange cat Mr. Whiskers, whom both Davies and Carter are increasingly fond of. So far, Izzy isn't in a mental institution, and with that, we salute her!"_

_"Cody West is a technology teacher at an elementary school, teaching Computer Literature to his students. He is married to, surprisingly, Sierra, the very same girl who creeped him out during his duration on _World Tour. _However, they have no issues and are living normal, content lives. Good for them!"_

_"Beth Anderson got a glow up, but not naturally. She got plastic surgery and is trying to get a modeling job currently. She has on and off again relationships, her past boyfriends stating "_her looks are a plus, but her personality is a major downside_". She currently pays her bills using the money she earns at a movie theatre, and things seem to be going along for Beth."_

_"Sadie Brown, as mentioned, has a child named Katherine, named after her BFFFL Katie. She works at some boring office job, doing who knows what. She is married to somebody, but no one has been able to figure out who—or no one cares. Her life, like some others, is uneventful and not at all glamorous."_

_"Courtney Castillo-Rodriguez's life was certainly interesting after _Total Drama_, and many magazines and celebrity outlets ate her story up. To put it simply, she stated through talkshows she appeared in with her friend Bridgette that _"my mental health has never been in a good place, with all these expectations and pressures to live up too. With many people hating me, from the show or otherwise, and some things I've both gone through from the show and _done _on the show, my mental health was in shambles. I'm slowly getting better, but it'll take a long time to fully heal." _Courtney had taken a break from media and returned with a photo of the _"Killer Bass Five",_ excluding her ex Duncan. Courtney also has a goddaughter, little Cassidy Brooks, who she loves dearly. Castillo-Rodriguez indeed became a lawyer, a very successful one at that. She told a talk show that she uses her money to help others get education and necessities, as her friends from _Total Drama _have influenced her. We hope that our favorite CIT is back on her feet!"_

_"Harold Davinski is, to many's surprise, dating Leshawna, his crush from the show. He runs his own diverse camps, __much like Steve's, one being "Harold's Camp for Magic" or something like that. The ginger doesn't use social media as often as others and doesn't often meet up with other cast members, but he does perform his best-boxing skills as street art."_

_"Trent Franklin is easily remembered as the nice, cool musician from the reality show. He is, indeed, a musician, and he said to Good Morning America __while on tour that __"many of his songs are inspired by __Total Drama __and my experiences from the show__". Despite popular belief, Trent has gotten over his nine obsession and his ex girlfriend Gwen, and lives happily with his beagle who he calls _"Coconut"_. He talks and meets up with many contestants who he is on good terms with frequently and meets up with fans more than most singers. Franklin is a successful musician who almost no one has a problem with!"_

_"Bridgette, our surfer chick. She is happily married with Geoff Brooks, and the two have a daughter together named Cassidy. Many questioned the choice of their good friend Courtney being the godmother, which Bridgette had cleared up in a social media post. "_Courtney is mature, responsible and an empowered woman. She inspires others around her and has changed from _Total Drama_, like the majority of us. I know Cassidy will love her, end of discussion_". The Brooks also own a golden lab named Sunshine, who many of the fan base love. Bridgette works as a public speaker, addressing issues she believes needs to be changed. Good going, Bridge! So far, life seems peachy for Malibu!"_

_"Lindsay Moore has successfully found a career in modeling, unlike her friend Beth. She has her own line of lip gloss, a favorite of the ex contestant, and is engaged to her lover Tyler Davis. Lindsay, all in all, lives a life of socializing and luxury, and often throws extravagant parties. Lindsay, personality wise, hasn't changed much, still being bubbly and not the sharpest."_

_"DJ Kennedy is still the loveable BFG. He now owns a restaurant and is very successful. He has a wife and a son named Teddy, and like Geoff and Bridgette, has a lab, but a dark, chocolatey brown named Nutella. DJ meets up with his friends from _Total Drama_ often, and posts photos from each run in he has with them. All in all, DJ is happy, so we're happy!"_

_"Geoff Brooks is married to Bridgette and has a daughter named Cassidy as mentioned before. Geoff works as a party planner and, of course, attends many of those said parties. Geoff lives a social and exciting life, always meeting up with friends and family, from the show or otherwise. Geoff's social media accounts are flooded with pictures and memories, and Geoff often donates to charities and organizations, with the support of his friends from the show. In 2015, Geoff put a memorable tweet out that was trending for weeks simply saying "_rewatching #totaldrama , and damn, were we that idiotic??_" to which many cast members, fans of the show, and even McLean himself responding with a simple "_yes._" While not an accomplishment, it was certainly funny!"_

_"Leshawna Owusua is in fact dating Harold. Unlike her beau, she is active on social media, with her friends and interacting with her fans. She talks on talk shows frequently and sponsors companies quite often, trying her best to "_spread awareness and make the world a better place_". Leshawna made amends with multiple people on the show, including Heather, which immensely shocked others. Leshawna loves the classy and extravagant life she was meant to be living."_

_"Duncan Nelson nearly disappeared entirely after his time on _All Stars _came to an end. Of course, he was released from prison on good behavior, but afterwards, laid low. Sometimes he's spotted hanging out with Geoff or DJ, but he mostly keeps quiet. His green mohawk is gone, and now in place is a simple black fohawk. The only piercings he adorns are his ear piercings. No one knows if he has had any serious relationships or changed his sarcastic, narcissistic personality, and we hope he's doing okay."_

_"Heather Hampton climbed to the top and now sits on a throne of riches. She's married to Alejandro and has adopted a 5 month old boy who's named William. Heather's life is filled with power and luxuries at every corner and she parties frequently. She told _People _magazine "_Alejandro and I are the _It_ couple that everyone wants to be. We don't even have exact jobs; we just do projects that come along like movie appearances or modeling jobs and that comes along in our paycheck._" Heather has also been known through her social media for meeting up with her friends from the show, the people she's grown to respect the most. These include the people from the popular ship "_Gweathney_"; Gwen and Courtney, occasionally with others like Bridgette and Geoff. Heather is easily one of the most popular and intimidating people from _Total Drama _and continues to be."_

_"Gwen Willows is a single mother, her son named Andy. She works as an artist with a mild success. She meets up with her friends, from the show or otherwise, very frequently, the most popular meet ups were with Courtney at a coffee shop, when Gwourtney shippers went crazy thinking they were dating. She also met up with Trent in late 2014 when the Brooks hosted a Christmas party, and Gwent fans went to Twitter to show how excited they were to show they were back together, when they indeed were not. However, Gwen, also being a fan favorite, is popular when it comes to social media but never appears on talk shows, as they _"make her uncomfortable". _Anyway, our goth girl has certainly grown up and takes responsibilities as a single mother. Kudos to her!"_

_"Last but not least, Owen Davies works as a spokesperson for large companies (more popularly fast food). He and Izzy, as mentioned, live with each other and their cat Mr. Whiskers. Owen meets up with the more friendly cast of the show at times and speaks positively about all of them. He has stated multiple times that he "_can't wait to see my old buds again! Hoping to see everyone and catch up! See you all on July 8th_". At least someone's excited!"_

_"A huge banquet will be taking place on July 8th to honor the reality show. The premiere will air live, all the details are on the TeleTV website. So far, nearly all of the contestants have RSVP'd an appearance, excluding Courtney Castillo-Rodriguez, Duncan Nelson, Ezekiel Tryniski, Eva Allen and Justin Phillips. We hope to see them at the banquet! Once again, this is—"_

But the man was no longer paying attention. He smiled a sinister and eerie smile as a plan formed in his head. _All_ of the contestants would be coming, he was sure of it. And then, he knew, would be the perfect time to strike.

"_One by one," _the man thinks, pulling out a knife from his pocket. "_They shall all fall._"

. . . **tbc**

_aftermath : _

hey hey hey! it's me, z again! you may or may not know me from my story _suicidal, _but don't worry, i'm not discontinuing it! i'm finishing a chapter, but was being annoying and it deleted the whole thing. meanwhile, i'm starting this story that i thought on the whim. this chapter is nothing but a prologue, or an introduction of what's to come. it's also a way for me to describe what's happened to our characters without having to have long, unnecessary and awkward descriptions of it. it kind of writes itself.

i hope you're as excited for this as i am!

xx,

z :)


	2. “their blood it’s all on my hands,”

_[ disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to their rightful owners and creators. ]_

_[ warning: colorful language and heavy topics will be discussed throughout this chapter. you have been warned. ]_

_a fancy banquet. troubling pasts. a murder to solve. all in all, it's a night to remember._

**THE BLOOD OF THE PAST.**

_ch. two : "their blood...it's all on my hands,"_

A woman sits alone in a booth, her eyes bright from the screen in front of her. Elegant and long fingers wrap around her cup of steamed coffee, the drink dancing on her tongue. With a relieved sigh, the woman sets down her mug and continues on with her work.

Courtney Castillo-Rodriguez rubbed her tired eyes. Being a workaholic, Courtney had a habit of working late hours without being asked or forced to. Currently, she has run for two or three days with minimal sleep, and in her eyes, she could work longer.

The diner she was sitting in was deserted except for some waitresses working late night shifts. The diner, named _Rocket's_, was a 50's style diner which Courtney loved. The greasy food was addicting, the milkshakes incredible, even simple food like salad was made appetizing. The restaurant made Courtney work her best; plus, it was open for 24 hours.

Tapping away at her computer, Courtney continues to read an interesting case. A man by the name of David Britton had killed a coworker who had been competing for a promotion, but had done a such a sloppy job that anyone with eyes could see he had murdered the young employee. It would be a difficult case to defend.

But, of course, Courtney was always prepared.

Scrolling through the accused's family's Facebooks, Courtney came upon resourceful information. _Was born with a limp. _Courtney scribbles down in her pristine notebook with her equally pristine handwriting. _To escape from the victim's apartment to travel to a hiding space would take a sufficient 10 minutes; that is, if David Britton took off immediately and had no limp. This being said, however, the authorities showed up after exactly 5 minutes after the crime. _With a satisfied smile, Courtney closes the Facebook tab, before opening her email to check if she has anything important in her inbox.

Before she could, however, soft footsteps echo in the lonely restaurant as an old waitress approached the young woman.

"Courtney, it's late. You should head home now." The waitress named Carol frowned in a motherly tone; which, in all honesty, Carol was as much as a mother compared to Courtney's biological mom.

"But I still need to check all my facts and resources to make sure they're stable! I need to continue searching for anything that could defend this Britton man. I need to be prepared for everything and anything that could go wrong!" Courtney whined slightly to the elderly woman.

The stern waitress did not budge. "We both know you've checked already. It's nearly one in the morning, go back home for Pete's sake. I'll be taking your coffee now; coffee's on me." With that, Carol easily swiped Courtney's mug out of her hand.

Mumbling her to-do list under her breath (_Finish that damn case and do the laundry, I'm starting to run out of clothes!_"), Courtney gathered her things and left the diner. She could hear a shout of "_Be careful, it's dangerous out there!_" as she left. Signaling she heard Carol, Courtney raised her hand as if in goodbye. Then, she began her trek home across the busy city.

. . .

"_Late in the night, the city's asleep. Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep..._" A man sings softly, his fingers strumming on his guitar. Next to him, an Asian woman silently listens, waiting for something — more of someone, to put it more accurately — to show up.

The two adults waited on a couch, surrounded by clean and expensive things in an apartment. A beagle waited impatiently on the carpet below them, restless and eager to run around.

The group had been waiting for hours for Courtney Castillo-Rodriguez to come home, which seemed to become more and more unlikely as ungodly hours rolled across the clock.

Trent looks up. "What do you think of that?"

Heather's response is quicker than what he could have imagined. "What, are you singing a song about having sex at night with a forbidden lover? Try something else."

With a sigh, Trent begins strumming another tune, his voice flowing softly with the strumming.

"_Once upon a time, it was a paradise. Once upon a time, I was paralyzed. Think I'm gonna miss these harbor lights, but it's time to let it go._" Heather sits silently, noting that this song, this masterpiece was close to Trent's heart.

"_Once upon a time it was made for us; woke up one day, it had turned to dust. Baby, we were found but now we're lost. So it's time to let it go._"

A silence insures, the singing and strumming of the guitar had come to a cease. When he speaks, Trent's voice cracks. "It's a work in progress," he mutters.

"Whatever it was, it was just ... wow." Heather encourages. "Damn straight, Trent."

Trent nods, unsure what to say. His fingers weave and play with the headstock settings, and what comes out of Heather's mouth next startles him.

"You still love her, don't you?"

"What?" Trent asks, surprised. "Who do you mean?"

"Weird goth girl, obviously." Heather states matter of factly, staring directly into Trent's green eyes. To date, she refused to call Gwen by name, despite their somewhat friendship.

"What? No." Trent repeats. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said that some of my songs aren't about her or our relationship, but this one isn't."

"Then who is it about?" Heather questions, now curious. Was it possible Trent had a secret lover throughout all these years? "Oh my god, don't tell me it's Tweedle-Dumb or Tweedle-Dumber."

"No, it's not Katie or Sadie," Trent smiles. "It's about that damn reality show as a whole."

"_Total Drama?_ Really?"

"Well, yeah." Trent says. "When we first arrived at that island, we were each young and naive in our own way. Kind of innocent, really. We didn't know we would be brought for multiple more seasons or what dumbasses we would become or how badly it would break us. It started out good-"

"Disagree with that," Heather interjects. "It was hell to begin with. I mean, hello? Chef's food?"

"Maybe," Trent agrees. "But you can't deny that _Total Drama_ made us hate ourselves and we were better off without it."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Heather asks softly, serious. "That we shouldn't have ever signed up?"

"At this point, yes. Probably. I don't know. Heather, look where it's winded us up — it made everyone bitchy and rude and pathetic. That show put everyone through hell, and once we escaped between seasons, we'd be dragged right back."

A beat of silence.

"What about us?" Heather asks. She finds herself surprised; why was she trying to convince Trent that _Total Drama_ was a _good_ thing, when really it seemed the opposite? "How about everyone you met through the show? Do you regret that?"

"If you had the chance, would you have never gone on _Total Drama?_" Heather asks before Trent could answer. Green eyes stare at her, face blank with no emotion to give away.

His eyes glide down, and Trent notices his hand shaking slightly.

"I don't know."

. . .

Courtney's walk home had been uneventful, thankfully. No dangerous gang members or robbers had shown up to mug her; the most dangerous being she passed was a homeless man who eyed her purse in longing. Out of pity, she drops him a twenty.

When she enters the apartment complex, all is lonely. The lights flicker slightly, the reception desk abandoned. Courtney's simple black heels make an intimidating clack-ing noise against the marble floors.

Why is her pulse quickening?

The young woman rests her hand on her bag protectively. The flickering lights, the eerily silence, the bare room without a single soul in it; all of it pointed to — no, had huge red letters stamped on it that spelled _SUSPICIOUS_.

A security camera in the corner seemed to follow her every move in an uncomfortable way. With a shudder, Courtney squeezes her eyes shut and rolls her shoulders back.

"_Just paranoid. I'm perfectly safe._" Courtney whispers to herself. "_Perfectly safe,_" Courtney repeats, the words wrapping around her, coating her from the sudden chill that runs up her spine.

Hurrying now, the woman's shoes echo the buildings walls.

_CLACK. CLACK. CLACK._

Reaching the elevator, one of the brunette's fingers flies up to the button that summons the elevator. In a fret, her neat stack of business cards fall out of her bag; a string of profanities escape her mouth.

By the time Courtney had collected all of her business cards (which had taken longer than expected), the elevator had finally shown up. With a sigh of relief, the Hispanic clambers in the elevator hurriedly, her finger already pushed up against the floor 3 button.

The doors close slowly in a mockery. Taking a deep breath, Courtney feels like the air is much less heavy and she feels safer, somehow, in the elevator with posh cushions as seats in the back.

Beneath it all, a simple word that is unspoken is within the rhythm of the room.

_Unsafe._

. . .

**_Toronto, Canada ; Location - UNSECURED HIDDEN BASE._**

In a deserted building, one man stands behind a desk, his fingers flying across a dusty keyboard, typing in codes to hack a security system. So far, he had secured the location of almost every contestant of that damn show excluding seven.

Of course, there was Chris; he was practically everywhere these days. But really, this did not faze the man — after all, Chris was sure to show up to his own reunion party, right?

Alongside Chris, there was Gwen, Heather, Lindsay, Duncan, Cody and Courtney. Cody lived in some suburbia which would only take a little digging to uncover, and hopefully a search of Gwen's full name would uncover her location; it wasn't a well-known fact what her surname was.

Duncan was by far the hardest to track down. The boy never left a trace behind wherever he went; he was like trying to catch smoke. It would take a lot of concentration and searches to find him, but maybe he could possibly lure the past delinquent to coming to the damn reunion?

Heather, Lindsay and Courtney fell somewhere in between. Heather and Lindsay could be at anyone's house partying or modeling, or anything else, really. Courtney would either be at work or her apartment, which he had just uncovered.

Now, as he clicked _PAUSE_ on the footage he just unearthed, the man zoomed in on a fallen business card.

_COURTNEY CASTILLO-RODRIGUEZ_, **_FF, C AND S LAW FIRM_**

"_I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT!_"

289-555-7192

It was too perfect. Her name, business and contact information all plastered on one screen. Now, maybe if he kept watching, she would lead him to Heather or Gwen...

He clicked resume and watched the young Latina board the elevator, witnessing the doors draw to a close . . .

. . .

In apartment 307, a restless beagle waits. Whining, the dog rolls over. Concerned, his owner gently rubs his belly.

"What's wrong, Coconut?" Trent asks, brow furrowing. Heather frowns. "Maybe he's restless? We've waited here for hours. Maybe we should head back home and come back in the morning-"

Before her sentence is finished, the dog shoots up and dashes across the apartment, barking all the way.

Both young adults find themselves standing up almost immediately, their legs following after the beagle. Shouting profanities ("_Shit, I almost tripped over that fucking rug! Where did that dog even go?_" Heather yelled.) and pleas ("_Coconut, come back! C'mon, boy!_" Trent shouted behind the dog), the duo ran after the dog, not noticing the turn of keys at the doorknob.

"Why did Coconut come to the door of all places-" Trent begins, but is cut off by surprise when he sees who's there. "Courtney?"

The brunette blinks once, twice, before glancing at the dog who is running passionately around her and barking, to the two adults taken aback in surprise. "What the hell?" She asks.

"_Surprise?_" Heather musters weakly, laughing nervously as an afterthought.

. . .

Minutes later, three young adults surround the kitchen island with steaming cups of coffee in hand and madeleines on tiny plates. The light snoring and stirring of Coconut could be heard from the next room.

Taking a sip of coffee, Courtney eyes her friends. "What brings you two here?" She asks, batting her eyelashes in interest.

A snort from Heather. "What, can't see my best friend without a reason?" She retorts sarcastically.

Before Courtney could retort back, Trent shrugs. "I dunno, we were both bored and figured to stop by."

"If you say so," Courtney says, clearly unconvinced. "If you'll excuse me, I've been in work clothes for hours. I'm going to change into pajamas and remove my makeup, I think I'm suffocating in it." With no objection from either of her friends, Courtney sets her mug down, turning on her heel, walking down the hall.

As soon as she went, Heather and Trent erupted into a heated argument through whispers.

"_You were supposed to ask her, you idiot!_" Heather hissed.

"_It's going to break her! Do you want a distraught or angry Courtney on our hands?_" Trent whispers defensively.

"_Any bright ideas, Elvis?_" Heather whispers mockingly. Both knew they were friends, but how could they — Heather, more accurately — resist not picking an ironic fight?

"_Be casual, we'll both bring it up!_" Trent whispers back. Before Heather can agree, Courtney returns, and the two casually slurp the coffee as if nothing had happened. Courtney's oblivious to the conversation that had happened right then.

"So Trent, any new songs in progress?" Courtney asks curiously. Trent nods, his shoulders giving a limp shrug.

"Well, what's it about?" Courtney questions. Currently, she's rinsing some dishes in the sink.

Trent looks to Heather for help. Her eyes urge him, looking between Courtney and Trent's hesitant answer like a tennis ball match.

_Suck it up and do it!_ Heather mouths to him. Trent knows if she could, she'd yell at him to grow some balls and just do it.

"Uh, _Total Drama_," Trent mutters. Despite the quiet tone and the running faucet, along with Heather's sipping and Coconut's snoring, Courtney hears him loud in clear.

Her hand nearly loosens it's grip on a plate.

"What?" Courtney whispers.

"The reunion's coming up, you know." Heather interjects. "Trent's song is about how it started good but became hell in the end."

"I could've told her myself, thanks," Trent mumbles, but is ignored by both females in the room.

"It did." Courtney mutters, scrubbing hard on the porcelain plate with a wet sponge.

Now came the dreaded question, Courtney knew.

"You think you're going to go?"

Courtney scoffs. "No way!" She replies, having already thought this through. "There is absolutely no benefit of me going there. Everyone I want to keep in touch with I have, and everyone else has either antagonized me or hates my guts! Why would I want to go?"

"Riddle us this," Trent challenges. "Who wouldn't want to see you, a decade later?"

"Duncan." Courtney supplies immediately. "That jerk. I can't believe I used to like him! You know he broke me, and I've finally collected the pieces and put myself back together! There's no way I want to see his sorry ass."

"Who else?" Heather inquires.

"Justin. I toyed with him and never apologized for it." Heather scoffs at this, and Trent holds back a smile.

"Court, Justin doesn't even hold grudges because they cause wrinkles, apparently. He does it all the time himself, and he definitely doesn't care a decade later."

Courtney huffs, now seeing this as a game — her team being everyone hated her, the opposite being everyone was civil. She was a lawyer, for crying out loud — there was absolutely no way she would lose, even if it complimented her.

"Lindsay." Courtney challenges. She raises her eyebrows at Heather, who, unknowingly to Courtney, is biting her tongue to keep from laughing. "I always treated her like shit for being dumb and by association, Tyler hates me." Courtney crosses her arms, refusing to back down.

Heather lets the laugh slip. Soon, she's clutching her sides and keeps on arm on Trent's shoulder to keep from falling. She wipes a tear from her eye, still giggling. "Court, Lindsay has the memory of a goldfish and Tyler hates you as much as DJ hates bunnies." Seeing Courtney's face redden, Heather continues her fit of laughter. Trent shoots her a look — _Ignore Heather._

"Who else?"

"Harold. Leshawna. Owen.."

"Seriously? Leshawna and Harold emailed their closest 'peeps' to attend Harold's first promotion ceremony at one of his wacko camps, including you. Owen'll be too busy making conversation with the food and drinks to even have a conversation with you."

Courtney sighs. "Fine, maybe people don't care what I've done, but I care!"

Heather raises an eyebrow, sure she can somehow make whatever rant Courtney's about to get started on another reason she should go. "Explain."

"Before that stupid audition and that cursed reality TV show, I was respected and liked myself. Then I got booted off. My parents despised my failure and shunned me. Oh my god, Heather, I became so insane and bitchy and powerful yet so _miserable_ that I completely pushed everyone away!" Trent and Heather glance at each other; her spiel was almost identical to the hidden meaning of Trent's work in progress song.

"Maybe people have moved on. Maybe they like me now. Maybe they've never hated me and it's all in my head, but the truth is just that my pride can't handle the hit, knowing the shit I put others through. I've been responsible for so many eliminations." Courtney pauses.

"Their blood ... it's all in my hands." The Hispanic woman adverts her eyes from her friends to her clean counters and rubs her hands on her pajamas, as if to rid any actual blood. _God, why did she have to be such a bitch?_

"Courtney, do you really think so many of us would stick together realistically?" Trent asks. Both Heather and Courtney glance at him, silently urging him to go on. "We're all in this together, Court. We all have regrets from that show. None of us like who we've become but here we are, a decade later, still invested in _Total Drama_."

"Now who do you think would want to see you?" Heather questions softly, patting Courtney's hand. Courtney's eyebrows scrunch up, as if trying to think of someone besides the obvious four or five people who would want to see her.

"Well ... you two and Bridgette, I guess," Courtney mumbles. Trent nods. "Good, who else?" Heather asks encouragingly.

"By association, Geoff and DJ. Geoff and I kind of bonded during _World Tour_ when we saw both our significant others cheat — in some way. DJ and I talked off screen, since we were both scared out of our wits during the first challenge of _Island_."

The corners of Courtney's lips are tugged up, unbeknownst to her, and Heather and Trent flash a smile to each other. They were so close, they could practically feel the taste on wine on their tongues already. All Courtney needed was

just.

one.

push.

"Who else?" Heather presses.

Courtney frowns. "Maybe Gwen? We don't talk as much as I'd like to but life is life, I guess..."

"See, Court? We all regret those contracts we've signed, but we wouldn't be where we are today without 'em. Just go to the reunion, for old times' sake?"

The way she saw it, Courtney had two options; see her "pals" for old times, even though she called them practically every day via Skype, texted them with iMessages, and caught up with them on Twitter, Snapchat and rarely Instagram, or skip out on the whole thing.

... but, if she _did_ go ... maybe she could gloat in Chris's face on how she beat his contract and how he'll be milking every cent off of her and the contestants for the rest of his life while they would move on to bigger, better things and thrive, all in front of McLame's face.

So totally, _incredibly_ worth it.

Courtney smiles a mischievous smile, one that is contagious. "You've got yourself a deal, Heath."

The three of them grin, triumphant. Because finally, in a few days, they could finally leave _Total Drama _rotting and wheezing in the dust when their contracts were to be broken, and they'll feel something they haven't felt in a decade; _free_.

. . .

**_BROOKS' HOUSEHOLD_**

With Bridgette and Cassidy and out for the weekend, it was obvious what Geoff was going to get up to; invite two of his best buds over, of course.

The coffee table, small, dark and wooden, had three men sitting around it; DJ Kennedy, Duncan Nelson and Geoff Brooks, all of which were taking turns passing the wine and tall tales from their youth around the table.

"No, no-no, dude, when I headlocked him, he was scared _shitless_, man! I was fuckin' 8, bro — and the best part? This scrawny ass kid was _11_! And, like, nearly _twice_ my height and weight! I'm serious, Geoff, I couldn't even make this shit up! What a wimp!"

Duncan Nelson had just finished telling a dramatic retelling of his first fist fight, which he and his opponent seemed to use anything but. According to him, they kicked eachother's shins, tugged at hair, judo flipped the other, and pretty much beated each other to shit. According to himself, Duncan had walked away victorious.

The other two men howled with laughter at the tale. In actuality, it wasn't even that amusing, just pathetic, really, but the men were so delirious from their drinks that even the neglected calendar that sat in the corner of the kitchen (that still showed _DECEMBER_ , _2016_) seemed slap-your-knees-hilarious.

"T-tell another, man!" DJ encourages, stuttering from how drunk he is. "Nah, man, it's my turn!" Geoff interjects, whining. He attempts to clap DJ on the back in a playful way, but in his current state, he ends up whacking the back of his head; if DJ notices, he doesn't say — either from his drunken state or his naturally broad body, no one could know.

The laughter simmers down, and for a second, the only noise is the gulps of Duncan chugging his alcohol.

"Dudes, do you remember the last time we did this?" Geoff asks.

"Uh, last month?" DJ slurs.

"Well, true, but I kinda meant when we were on _Total Drama_, dude."

"Ohhh,"

"Why're you bringing that show up, Geoff?" Duncan grumbles. "I know I was a teenage juvenile, but seriously, that shit was my biggest mistake."

"Amen. I'll drink to that." Geoff jokes, even holding up his red plastic cup.

DJ looks at Duncan questioningly. "So you're saying nothing good came out of it?"

Duncan rolls his eyes, like this question was a waste of time — and in his opinion, it was. "Truth. Got dumped by two chicks by being an asshole and eyeing other chicks. Doris the Dweeb isn't even intimidated by me, just says "_GOSH_" in that annoying ass raspy voice of his. I only walked out with two friends from that show, being you two. I killed off any hope for a serious relationship during those seasons. I was sent to goddamn prison, and had to ask '_Do you want fries on the side of that?'_ for two years until Ma and Pa pitied me so much that they hired me as their newest cop, the thing I despise most. Now everyone only wants me for a selfie, fuck, and not to be beaten up guy. So yeah, _Total Drama_ turned me to shit."

Duncan chugs the rest of his plastic cup, and threw it across the room when he was finished. Both DJ and Geoff are left in a stunned silence, shocked at how sober and regretful their friend sounded for how, well, for lack of better word, _un_-regretful Duncan usually was.

"Dude..." Geoff seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Duncan, man, if you feel that way, we won't push you. But we think it'd be good for you to attend the reunion!" DJ swears.

_Shit_, he had forgotten about the reunion. It was less than, what, a week until his ass would be hauled over to that fancy hotel, trapped with producers, news crews, sponsors, work associates and worst of all, castmates he wanted to go no where near.

But Duncan's too worn out to argue. "How would it be good for me?" He challenges.

"For one, you can contact people who you've lost touch with! You and Leshawna were friends at one point, right?" DJ points out. Geoff immediately comes to his side.

"And this could be your return to fame! Just hookup with someone or something and _boom_, you're back, dude!"

"Isn't that a dickhead move?" Duncan questions.

"Maybe." Geoff agrees. "But you'll get a hot chick at your heels in no time. And come on, it'll be fun!" He promises. Then, as an afterthought, he adds; "Er, the reunion part, not the hooking-up-with-a-chick-for-fame part."

Duncan sighed. "What I'm about to tell you is confidential and if you bring it up, I'll pretend it was drunk slurs, okay?"

DJ and Geoff nod, curious what Duncan could be acting secretive about.

"I lost my chance. Long ago." Duncan says. "I lost my chance to be the good guy. I may have gone soft, but that didn't make me the good guy. That made me weak. I was such a dickhead, and everyday I think '_Was it worth it? In the long run, was it worth it all?'_. Geoff, DJ, answer me honestly; was all the cheating, lies, challenges and humiliation worth the fame or the money? Owen never got his 100 grand. I got my million but practically blew it off. Ezekiel stol Heather's money. Whichever shithead won the fourth season probably blew their money, and two-timing Mike or Zoey or whatever probably donated it to a dog shelter or some shit. I don't even remember who won the other island season. No one even got their money's worth, it wasn't ever worth it!"

"I regret screwing up with the girls and my friends. I had the one at my fingertips, but I let her go. Now I practically live off of my parents and I'm depressed when I could be thriving."

"Wait, what?" DJ questions. "What do you mean, _the one?_"

Before Duncan could even process the question or dignify a response, his eyes roll to the back of his head, and his body crashes to the ground, exhausted from all the alcohol in his system.

Geoff grins. "Even drunk, he stays a mystery. Nice, dude!"

. . . 

By now, Duncan was used to this.

Waking up with sunshine sleeping through windows, seeming more saturated then usual, a killer headache that felt like wrecking balls pounding in his head, and the afterthought that all dreaded; _what happened last night?_

But damn, it never hurt less.

Groaning as the bright sunlight hit his eyes, Duncan sat up to find his two friends already on the couch across from him, tea and coffee in their hands. "How you feelin', bro?" DJ asks in his soft, nurturing voice.

"Alright," Duncan replies, despite his awful headache. "What's up?" Duncan's hand reaches out to grab a cup of coffee, but Geoff takes it before he can.

"Nothing's up!" Geoff promises in a higher tone than his own. "Pfft, Deej, look at this guy, asking us what's up! I'll tell you wants up — the ceiling!" Geoff laughs and unnatural and very forced laugh, causing Duncan's eyebrows (yes, _eyebrows. _The days of his unibrow were long gone) to shoot up. Geoff continues his awkward charade of dying of laughter, mocking Duncan's simple question, and downing his coffee, before he gives up and whispers to DJ in a barely audible tone; "_He's not buyin' it, is he?_"

"_He_ most certainly is not," Duncan intruded on the conversation. "What the hell's going on here?"

"Well, we _were_ going to tell you _casually _and _normally_," DJ glares at Geoff, but continues. "We signed you up for that reunion."

"You _what?_" Duncan erupts. He doesn't even have the energy to be mad, what's the point? He knows the damage is done, but he'll be damned if he doesn't know _why. _

"What the hell, man? Why would you do that?" Duncan voices his exact thoughts.

"You need to get out more!" Geoff defends before DJ can. "Maybe reconnecting with old friends will be good for you—"

"I wouldn't exactly call all the people on that guest list my _friend_," Duncan snarls, a trace of his younger self jumping out. "Besides, when did you become my therapist?"

"Geoff and I are your friends." DJ says firmly. "We have your best interests at heart. Even if you come home regretting that gala and with no new — or old — friends, you'll have us! C'mon, man, it won't kill you to get out with the crew once and for all!"

"Plus, after that, we'll be released from our contracts!" Geoff chimes in. If this doesn't sell him, what will? "Then you'll be done with _TD _for good! Don't you want to tease Harold again, for old times' sake?"

Duncan groans. "Not like I have a choice. But I am _not _taking my piercings out, I don't care how fancy a gala is!"

. . .

**_TV STUDIO SOMEWHERE IN TORONTO, CANADA. _**

Blaineley can't believe the words stamped on paper in front of her.

"You're joking, aren't you? Wow, never would have thought those kids would be dumb enough to give in!" The woman chuckles, flipping her blonde locks with a _swish! _of her hand.

"_WE ROLL IN FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE..._" A cameraman somewhere off set declares.

"Welcome back to our _Entertainment _portion!" Blaineley welcomes in a voice much more lively than her own. "We have some exciting news for our Reality TV fans, and to be more specific, the fan base of hit reality show _Total Drama!_"

"As of two minutes ago of this recording, it has been _confirmed _from Wawanakwa Films, Chris McLean's own company, that _all _twenty-two contestants have agreed to the reunion! By bribery or miracle is my question. Is this a scheme played from behind McLean's hands or just a coincidence? Anyway, we'll be seeing all of them in July for _Total Drama's _tenth and final reunion! Stay tuned and good night Canada! Blaineley, out!"

As soon as the camera stopped rolling, Blainely immediately launched in complaints.

"Ugh, I _hate _that last line! '_Blaineley, out!_' Who even says things like that unironically?"

. . .

**_AFTERWORD_**

_the calm before the storm, it seems. anyway, __yes__ it's just a coincidence that all twenty-two contestants will be returning. in my defense, i can't exactly have zeke, eva and justin have some moment where all of a sudden they're more than happy to go and talk to people they couldn't care less about. so for sake of argument, let's say that by what's left of the contract, they were forced (( against their will )) to go to the reunion. _

_so so sorry for the long wait to the three people reading. i've been sick for what feels like a month and been uninspired for longer. i am apart of multiple activities, take extra courses alongside schoolwork, and run some just for fun accounts on instagram. plus a social life! i'm busy and such a procrastinator, which is really something i'm trying to fix. please bear with me! hopefully i'll have a chapter per story once a month? we'll see. _

_anyway, i made a total drama instagram account for some reason under the username heathneys. check me out i guess? this isn't self promo, i swear. but i'd love talking to some of y'all on there! currently, i'm doing a rewritten tdas thing which i may post on here as well. _

_sunday school and homework are the absolute worst, which isn't really a surprise, _

_z :))_


End file.
